Businessman sentenced to a year and a day for bribing Cherry Hill official

CAMDEN — The former president of a private inspection services company was sentenced Friday to a year and a day in prison for bribing the former director of the Cherry Hill Department of Code Enforcement and Inspections, in exchange for Saccomanno’s assistance in obtaining municipal contracts, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Russell B. McLaughlin, 57, of Chalfont, Pa, and formerly the president of Building Inspection Underwriters, also will serve three years of supervised release and pay $20,000 in fines under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Renée Marie BumbMcLaughlin pleaded guilty in April to bribery.McLaughlin admitted that as president of BIU he personally gave a $5,000 cash bribe in December 2008 to former Cherry Hill code enforcement director Anthony Saccomanno, 67The bribe, officials said, was made with the intent of influencing Saccomanno to throw out all competing bids for a Cherry Hill inspection services contract, enabling a new round of bidding. Saccomanno is serving a 22 month term for mail fraud and other charges.